Foster mother opens heart and home to dozens of children

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - Just because a child is in foster care doesn't mean he or she is up for adoption. Some kids need care and a home, while their parents are given a chance to make improvements.

Right now in the state, there are approximately four thousand foster children and only about one thousand open foster homes. One Arkansas woman wants to change that, and she's doing it one child at a time.

Some might say 42-year-old Kim Tullos is an angel in disguise, but she insists she's just a mom, doing what she loves.

"I think between 25 to 30 have come in and out. Some have stayed long periods of time, and some just for the weekend," says Tullos.

That's 25 to 30 foster children in just a five year period of time. Tullos opened her home and her heart to children broken and in need.

"I feel called to do it," she says. "Just feel like it's what God wants me to do."

Tullos started fostering in June of 2008, and she says the hardest part about it is that she gets attached.

"My very first foster child was a day old when I got her, so I've had them from birth up to a 17-year-old that I have now," she added.

That day-old baby is now a toddler, and a photo of her hangs in her hallway. She was reunited with her birth mother, as are most of the children she's fostered.

"They just need love and attention, be listened to, and you know a lot of their basic needs for a sense of security and safety," Tullos says.

Tullos encourages others to do the same.

"There are so many kids that need someone, and I think maybe people could be intimidated by the task, but I think if they have a loving heart and a willing spirit - you know, love kids - that's some of the simplest things that they need," she concludes.

She doesn't just take in children to foster, but apparently to adopt as well. Her son, 3-year old Dakota, first came to her doorstep a few years back. To this day, Tullos is pouring her heart and soul into little Dakota, and she will continue to welcome foster children in need.

"I got Dakota when he was 9-months old. "I've have had him now since that point and was able to adopt him in May of last year," she explains.

There is a multitude of support for foster parents. The state of Arkansas provides training and also a monthly board payments to cover expenses for the foster children.